Device for prevention of fires in oil stills



Sept. 16, 1930. A. F. coRNNER. Erm. 1,775,847

DEVICE FOR PREVENTION 0F FIRES IN OIL STILLS 4filed outi 1'7. 1927 I/.ii

STILL Patented Sept. 16, 1930 g UNITED STATESA PATENT OFFICE v ASACORNNER AND 'GEORGE W. K. KING, 0E COFFEYVILLE, KANSAS, .ASSIGNORS jFIVE-EIGHTHS TO ROY T. OSBORN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ONE-FOURTH TO SAIDCORNNER, AND ONE-EIGHTH TO SAID KING l Y DEVICE FOR :PREVENTION F FIRESIN OIL STILLS i j Application filed October 17, 1927. Serial No.226,788.

Y `140 period is many times atmospheric pressure.

Y. It sometimes happens, however, due to circumstances into whichit ,isunnecessary to inquire for the present purpose, a stillwill puke, thatis to say, the liquid contents thereof will be carried `over into vthecondenser, resulting temporarily in a sub-atmospheric pressure in thestill. If no precautions were taken' to obviate this condition, seriousj g results might ensue fromvthe excess of the 20 pressure V'of theatmosphere over that in the still. Itis, therefore,'the common practicetoV provide such stills with a weighted, inwardly opening valve, sothat, before the atmosphericpressure exceeds the internal pressure 215by a dangerous amount, the valve will open permitting the inflow ofatmospheric'air-into the still to equalize the pressure. But, as the oiland'vapors inthe still are highly heated, and, inthe case of pressurestills, the temperature is much above the ignition temperature,the'inflow of air is apt to result in an explosive, combustible mixturein the still and occasion an explosion or a disastrous fire. It is thekpurpose of the present invention to prevent the occurrence of suchfires and ex.- plosions by diluting the incoming air with an inert orneutral gas, specifically steam, so that an explosive or inammablemixture will not be formed. With this obj ect in view we provide meansabove the safety valve for inject- .ing a neutral gas into theincomingair and connect it to an ample Vsource of steam or otha er inert. gas,controlling the connection'by a pressure device responsivevto thepressure in the interior of the'still so that under normal v operatingconditions, the steam or other inert gas is shut 0E, but when thepressure in the still fallsbelowatmospheric and before the pressuredifferential reaches a point at which 'T56 it ,becomes dangerous and therelief valve opens, the steam or other inert gas will be permitted toflow to the distributing device above the relief valve and dischargeabove and about the same to mingle with the entering air when the valveopens.

i In the accompanying drawing we have shown apreferred embodiment of theinvention, mainly in vertical section, parts, however, being shown inelevation.

j In' ythe drawing, a still to which our inventionisapplied is indicatedat 1. A pipe 2 communicating with the interior of the still leads to' aT-union 3. The T is coupled .by a short "pipe l with a valve chamber 5containing the inwardly opening relief valve 6. The lstem 7 of the valveextends upwardly through the valve seat and has a pin and slotconnection with the lever 8 from which depends an adjustable weightvQ.The lever is pivoted in an opening 10 in a housing 11 above the valvechamber and valve seat, said housing being open to the atmosphere at 12.

As above indicated, the relief vvalve is so counterweighted as tonormally remain closed as shown in full lines, but when, by reason of apuke or'other abnormal condition, the pressure within the still falls toa point at which the pressure differential between the still and theatmosphere would endanger the still, the valve opens admittingatmospheric air into the still.

The housing 11 above mentioned, is cored to form a channel 13, above thevalve seat and is perforated as at 14 to form an annular series of holesconnecting the channel 13 with theinterior of the housing Awhich holesare directed downwardly toward the openingl of the valve seat.v Y

The side opening of the T3 is connected byl pipe 14:', and elbow 15,with a piston valve cylinder 16, which in the specific constructionshown is arranged with its axis vertical. A piston valve 17 is freelymovable in said cylinder, its lower end 18 being exposed to the pressurewithin the still through the connections mentioned above, and the otherend 4ofthe piston is. formed or provided with a 'rod'19 extendingloosely through an opening 20 in the end wall of the cylinder and formedn with an eye 21 outside the cylinder. A couna shiftable counterweight25.

v inert gas'orsteam, las. for example, a boiler,

A pipe 26 Connected to a suitableesouree of is tapped'into theICylinderA at oneside, as at 27, and immediately opposite lthe same aApipe QS'i'stapped 111150 the cylinder and` eonnected by ,nipingrZStQ the.steamdistrbutng cham The Hpiston valve is' eircumferentially grooved at30 so thaetvvh'en inthefpo'sition 'shown in dottedV lines there is freecom-r in eee, the "weigiitie ie eajeetea 'eeiiie lever 8 to sueh apositionl thatthelrelief valve;

,6"vvillfopen'only after "a sub-atmospherio A VDuring normalrunning,there*fore,fbokthj` these valves yremain closed. .f {When the prese.is'ure' in the lstill 'for any' vcause dropsbelovv formation ofavcombustiblemixture.

l Lm

{')jressiire.hasl been developed in the still and before thepressurediiierential betvveen'the stilll andy atmosphere" y.becomesdangerous.

The Weight25 is soi adjustedon the lever 22 thatthe piston valve '1.7.Will normally b.

maintained 'in its upper Position, shownby full( lines, bythepressure'oi' lthe still vapors 'onits under'aCe, thusreuttingfof COmmu'-nieation between pipes 26 "andV 28,V lbut will vdrop to the dotted lineposition in which free Communicationbetweenl pipes 26 and 28..'is

alorded as the pressure iny thejstill falls 'bei 'low atmospherie and,before the relief.valvejy Vatmosphericandbefore it reaches the.r dangerpoint., lirstf thefpiston,valvel and then'the relief valve, opens'.-Just prior tothe lopen? ing oltthejreliei:` valve inert gas'is.discharged Vabove and. aroundr thesame and when Lthe l relieffvvalveopensusuch gas Yenters with the.

air and in suchl proportion asjto: avoid :the

We'preferably provide a rsteam'v vhistle which Warns the .operator ,ofdanger 4'when the pstonvalve opens.l

- Feeri1ermeee, if desiree, f ee? eeaieieeei 36, connected totheisameior some `other source ofsteampr inert gas, may baconvneetedtothe channele. l3. Preferably, pipe J,3 6 i'fprovided with a hand valvefor'manual .eo'ntrolfof the flovv of steam v- .il Manifestly, ouryinvention is noteonned Ito, the fspeeief'strueture shown. r.Other.forme Qffvalves, for example, might'be used; ffnstead oft-he .pistonvalve, apiston orfxpre's-` 1 surejdi-aphragm'eonnectedtoa valvefoffiany'.Sl'li'ible construction might be usedancl nue merous' other. changes[WillsuGgestftheme therein ,epeeingtwed theetji'llendle'eunte pressureVand normally. holding, "lastmen?y `mined sub-,at'm'os'pherijeVpoint,mean sl "forl y n tributingian inert gas' abovetlie valve, Conglneotions orlsupplying-saidmeansvvith -l'nertf 1. In combination With anoil still,a valve 'Y V kchamber open to the atmosphere, a connec l tiontherefrom to the still, a ,relief valve in said chamber,Counterevveighted to remain gasadjarent. saidy valve, affvalve-intsaidVconl neetions,=gmeans gcounterewreijghtingi the last: Y` y.. inentionedvalveandfa.pressurenperatedede nel 13 in the housing ll'abovementioned.f

yoe' open; te, the. ylaressilre wvithi-ntlie to .mentioned-valve, Yin-oombinationwithanoil still,.a valve s hamber erento the. atmosphere@onnecf vveighted` to remain@ 'closed 't during 'norm operation andeX'oept'; When thea Still pressu drops, toa piedeterniinedsubnormal po,e eonneetionsfor supplyi 0'y inert :gas adjacent Y said] vlve, favalvefin said oonneotionsai `pressure operated device exposedV 'to`-.tl1e"s'till `tionedv valve `closed Vbut permitting itftoope mentionedvalve", p. n ge v ,3, vln* combination with'anfoilstill,favalve` Chamberopen tothe atmosphere, a eonneeclosed duringnoriialoperationQandLeXCeptjv Whenv the vstill pressure drops.'toeapredeterl 1 gas, ,Ia'valve in said '.conneations,` pressure ineens" influencedbythepressiirezin the.Still,` i v normallyv holding thela'stfmentionedvalve m5 r' injclosed 'positionbut permitting it.; tomove to openposition .'vvhenfthepressure;inthe. 'K

still falls below a predetermined` 'point'.J 4.111combinationjwithan'oil.still,afvalve o'rhamber 'open .to the`latinos'plier'.e,'21a/relief. .110

valve'in said Chamber,.aeonneotionfrom'said i Chamber to 'the-.stillafeounterevveight;for1 .Y 'normally :holding the valve' losedzbutlper@4 kinitti'r-igit to open when :the still;v pressure 1` eers Dierfeefmind point ermee v,tiene reir, eepgpiyingf VSteam JedjacfegltgseidY valve, a .piston valvefinjsaidConnections, 1. 'other connections Vforexposing 'said piston vvalve.tof the pressurefvvithin .-the'stillandg flll .WHGSS whereof, {We/have.subscribedf -k means... forcounter#Weightinge"v .theff'piston e120k vtion' therefrom to thestil'l.,a` rellefyalye m e said C liamber, eounter iweighte@l o 'v emien"

